Infant seat assembly with retention member

ABSTRACT

An infant seat assembly includes a seat member and a retention member. The seat member includes a seat body having a front end and left and right sides, and a pair of side panels extending respectively from the left and right sides of the seat body. The retention member includes a main section and a pair of side sections attached respectively to opposite sides of the main section. The main section has a bottom end attached to the front end of the seat body, and the side sections are further attached to the side panels, respectively. The main section of the retention member is formed with a pair of spaced-apart leg openings through which legs of an infant seated on the seat member can pass.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an infant seat assembly, more particularly to an infant seat assembly having a retention member for arresting forward movement of an infant or young child positioned on the infant seat assembly during abrupt stops.

2. Description of the Related Art

Many different types of infant seat assemblies have been disclosed. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an example of an infant seat assembly 12 with a retention member 13 is disclosed in US Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0062710. In this example, the infant seat assembly 12 is applied to a baby stroller 1. The baby stroller 1 has a seat belt 14 and a tray 15.

The infant seat assembly 12 includes a seat 124, a backrest 121, and the retention member 13. The retention member 13 includes a main section 131 mounted to the seat 124, and is convertible between a stowed position and a use position. When in the stowed position, the main section 131 of the retention member 13 overlies the seat 124. When in the use position, the main section 131 of the retention member 13 stands upright from the seat 124.

The aforementioned conventional infant seat assembly 12 has the following drawbacks:

1. It is only practical to use the retention member 13 so designed with newborns. Once an infant reaches the age of, for example, six months, it would be necessary (assuming the retention member 13 is in the use position) for the child caregiver to reposition the infant higher onto the backrest 121 of the infant seat assembly 12 when the infant desires to be fully reclined. Without such repositioning, the infant would be forced to assume a most uncomfortable position as the retention member 13 limits the amount of space provided for lying down. For slightly older children, e.g., two-year-olds, the retention member 13 is no longer usable.

2. When the infant is seated upright and the backrest 121 of the infant seat assembly 12 is adjusted accordingly, it is necessary to place the retention member 13 in the stowed position. If, at this time, the child caregiver forgets to fasten the seat belt 14, the infant may slide forward and off of the infant seat assembly 12 when the baby stroller 1 is stopped abruptly. This may also result in the infant becoming stuck between the infant seat assembly 12 and the tray 15 (or in an alternative configuration, between the infant seat assembly 12 and a safety bar (not shown)), which, in extreme cases, may result in the infant being strangled. If, on the other hand, the seat belt 14 is not tightly adjusted, the infant may lunge forward during an abrupt stop of the baby stroller 1 and, again, may strike the tray 15.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an infant seat assembly having a retention member that allows for use with both infants and young children, that fully arrests forward movement during abrupt stops even when a seat belt is not fastened or loosely adjusted, and in which the retention member may be used regardless of whether the infant or young child is seated upright or fully reclined.

According to this invention, an infant seat assembly includes a seat member and a retention member. The seat member includes a seat body having a front end and left and right sides, and a pair of side panels extending respectively from the left and right sides of the seat body. The retention member includes a main section and a pair of side sections attached respectively to opposite sides of the main section. The main section has a bottom end attached to the front end of the seat body, and the side sections are further attached to the side panels, respectively. The main section of the retention member is formed with a pair of spaced-apart leg openings through which legs of an infant seated on the seat member can pass.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a baby stroller, illustrating a conventional infant seat assembly applied to the baby stroller and a retention member of the infant seat assembly in a stowed position;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the baby stroller of FIG. 1, illustrating the retention member in a use position;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a baby stroller, illustrating an infant seat assembly according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention applied to the baby stroller;

FIG. 4 is a front view of a retention member of the infant seat assembly of FIG. 3, illustrating the retention member in an unattached and spread-open state;

FIG. 5 is fragmentary perspective view of a baby stroller, illustrating a second preferred embodiment of an infant seat assembly of the present invention applied to the baby stroller, in which a retention member of the infant seat assembly is in a use position; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the baby stroller of FIG. 5, illustrating the retention member of the second preferred embodiment in a stowed position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Before the present invention is described in greater detail, it should be noted that like elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure.

An infant seat assembly 5 of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 3, 5, and 6 adapted for use with a baby stroller. However, it is noted that the present invention is not limited to such a use, and, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the present invention may find various other applications.

Referring first to FIGS. 3 and 4, the infant seat assembly 5 according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown to include a seat member 51, a retention member 52, and a tray 7.

The seat member 51 includes a seat body 511 having a front end and left and right sides, and a pair of side panels 512 extending respectively from the left and right sides of the seat body 511.

The retention member 52 includes a main section 521, and a pair of side sections 522 attached respectively to opposite sides of the main section 521. The main section 521 has a bottom end attached to the front end of the seat body 511 by, for example, sewing the main section 521 to the seat body 511. The main section 521 is formed with a pair of spaced-apart leg openings 523 through which legs of an infant or young child seated on the seat member 51 can pass. The side sections 522 are further attached to the side panels 512. In this embodiment, each of the side sections 522 is formed substantially as a right triangle having a hypotenuse side 525, and the hypotenuse side 525 is attached to the respective one of the side panels 512 by, for example, sewing the hypotenuse side 525 to the respective one of the side panels 512.

It is important to note that the attachment between the retention member 52 and the seat member 51 is not limited to sewing as described above, and other fastening means may be used, examples of which include buttons, zippers, and hook-and-loop fasteners. Through the use of such alternative fastening configurations, the retention member 52 may be completely removed from the seat member 51. For additional comfort, the retention member 52 may further include a fabric cover 526 that covers the main and side sections 521, 522, in which case only the fabric cover 526 or both the fabric cover 526 and the main and side sections 521, 522 may be attached to the seat member 51.

In the first preferred embodiment, the main and side sections 521, 522 of the retention member 52 are made of a rigid material, and the connections between the main section 521 and the side sections 522 are such that these elements stand upright from the seat member 51 as shown in FIG. 3. Alternatively, the side sections 522 may be integrally formed with the main section 521. In this normally upright state of the retention member 52, the main and side sections 521, 522 of the retention member 52 cooperate to define an enclosed space 524. The rigid material of the retention member 52 is such that the main and side sections 521, 522 may under go slight deformation upon receiving an external force and return to their original shapes after the external force is extinguished.

The tray 7 is disposed in front of both the seat body 511 of the seat member 51 and the main section 521 of the retention member 52. The tray 7 may be fixedly or removably attached to either the seat member 51 or to a predetermined location of the baby stroller. With the tray 7 thus disposed, a gap is formed between the seat member 51 and the tray 7. Further, with the retention member 52 positioned between the seat member 51 and the tray 7, movement into the gap by the infant or young child is prevented by the retention member 52. Hence, the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art are not encountered. Namely, there is no danger of the infant or young child becoming stuck between the infant seat assembly 5 and the tray 7 and thereby risking strangulation. A second preferred embodiment of the infant seat assembly 5 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. In the second preferred embodiment, the retention member 52 is foldable relative to the seat body 511 such that the retention member 52 is convertible between a stowed position and a use position. The side sections 522 of the retention member 52 have front and rear faces, and are each attached to an intermediate part of the respective one of the side panels 512. When the retention member 52 is in the stowed position, the main section 521 of the retention member 52 overlies the seat body 511, and the rear face of each of the side sections 522 is adjacent to the respective one of the side panels 512. When the retention member 52 is in the use position, the main section 521 of the retention member 52 stands substantially upright from the seat body 511, and at least a portion of the front face of each of the side sections 522 is adjacent to the respective one of the side panels 512. To allow for such conversion, the main and side sections 521, 522 may be formed as individual pieces covered by the fabric cover 526 such that the connection between the main and side sections 521, 522 is realized through the fabric cover 526. That is, the fabric cover 526 allows pivoting between the main and side sections 521, 522 and between the retention member 52 and the seat member 51 during conversion between the use and stowed positions. Hence, during the conversion between the stowed and use positions, the main section 521 pivots about the bottom end thereof (or about a portion of the fabric cover 526 adjacent to the bottom end of the main section 521), and each of the side sections 522 pivots relative to the main section 521 and about the hypotenuse side 525 thereof (or about a portion of the fabric cover 526 adjacent to the hypotenuse side 525). In the second preferred embodiment, the side sections 522 may be made of a soft material, such as foam.

Furthermore, when the retention member 52 is in the use position, the main and side sections 521, 522 of the retention member 52 cooperate to define the enclosed space 524. The tray 7 is disposed in front of the seat body 511 as in the first preferred embodiment, and the main section 521 of the retention member 52 stands substantially upright behind the tray 7 when the retention member 52 is in the use position.

In the second preferred embodiment, the main section 521 of the retention member 52 is further formed with a strap slot 520. In the case where the second preferred embodiment is applied to a baby stroller as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the baby stroller is provided with a seat belt 6 having a seat belt strap 61, and the strap slot 520 is adapted for extension of the seat belt strap 61 therethrough when the retention member 52 is in the stowed position. That is, when the retention member 52 is in the stowed position, the infant or young child is seated directly on the retention member 52, which overlies the seat 51. By passing the seat belt strap 61 of the seat belt 6 through the slot 520 in the retention member 52, the seat belt 6 may be fastened to secure the infant or young child in the baby stroller.

The above-described infant seat assembly 5 of the present invention allows for an infant or young child to be seated on the infant seat assembly 5 with his or legs passed through the leg openings 523 in the retention member 52. With this configuration of the infant seat assembly 5, repositioning of the infant or young child when in a fully reclined position is not required. Furthermore, forward movement of the infant or young child sitting on the infant seat assembly 5 is fully arrested by the retention member 52 during abrupt stops and even if the seat belt 6 is not fastened or loosely adjusted. Finally, the retention member 52 may be used regardless of whether the infant or young child is seated upright or fully reclined. As described above, since the retention member 52 may be used even when the infant or young child is seated upright, the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art are not encountered. That is, there is no danger of the infant or young child becoming stuck between the infant seat assembly 5 and the tray 7 (or in an alternative configuration, between the infant seat assembly 5 and a safety bar (not shown)) and thereby risking strangulation.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements. 

1. An infant seat assembly comprising: a seat member including a seat body having a front end and left and right sides, and a pair of side panels extending respectively from said left and right sides of said seat body; and a retention member including a main section and a pair of side sections attached respectively to opposite sides of said main section, said main section having a bottom end attached to said front end of said seat body, said side sections being further attached to said side panels, respectively; wherein said main section of said retention member is formed with a pair of spaced-apart leg openings through which legs of an infant seated on said seat member can pass.
 2. The infant seat assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said retention member is foldable relative to said seat body such that said retention member is convertible between a stowed position, where said retention member overlies said seat body, and a use position, where said retention member stands substantially upright from said seat body.
 3. The infant seat assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of said side sections of said retention member is formed substantially as a right triangle having a hypotenuse side attached to the respective one of said side panels.
 4. The infant seat assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein said side sections of said retention member have front and rear faces and are each attached to an intermediate part of the respective one of said side panels, said main section of said retention member overlying said seat body, and said rear face of each of said side sections being adjacent to the respective one of said side panels when said retention member is in said stowed position, said main section of said retention member standing substantially upright from said seat body, and at least a portion of said front face of each of said side sections being adjacent to the respective one of said side panels when said retention member is in said use position, said main and side sections of said retention member cooperating to define an enclosed space when said retention member is in said use position, said main section pivoting about said bottom end thereof, and each of said side sections pivoting relative to said main section and about said hypotenuse side thereof when said retention member is converted between said stowed and use positions.
 5. The infant seat assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said main section pivots about said bottom end thereof, and each of said side sections pivots relative to said main section and the respective one of said side panels when said retention member is converted between said stowed and use positions.
 6. The infant seat assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said main section of said retention member is further formed with a strap slot adapted for extension of a seat belt strap therethrough when said retention member is in said stowed position.
 7. The infant seat assembly as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a tray disposed in front of said seat body to thereby define a gap between said tray and said seat body, said main section of said retention member standing substantially upright between said tray and said seat body when said retention member is in said use position to thereby block entry into said gap from said seat body.
 8. The infant seat assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said side sections of said retention member is formed substantially as a right triangle having a hypotenuse side attached to the respective one of said side panels.
 9. The infant seat assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said main section of said retention member is further formed with a strap slot therethrough.
 10. The infant seat assembly as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a tray disposed in front of said seat body to thereby define a gap between said tray and said seat body, said main section of said retention member standing substantially-upright between said tray and said seat body to thereby block entry into said gap from said seat body.
 11. The infant seat assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said main and side sections of said retention member are made of a rigid material.
 12. The infant seat assembly as claimed in claim 11, wherein said main and side sections of said retention member are integrally formed.
 13. The infant seat assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said main and side sections of said retention member are integrally formed.
 14. The infant seat assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said retention member further includes a fabric cover for covering said main and side sections.
 15. The infant seat assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said main and side sections of said retention member are made of a rigid material.
 16. The infant seat assembly as claimed in claim 15, wherein said retention member further includes a fabric cover for covering said main and side sections, said side sections being attached respectively to said opposite sides of said main section through said fabric cover.
 17. The infant seat assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said retention member further includes a fabric cover for covering said main and side sections, said side sections being attached respectively to said opposite sides of said main section through said fabric cover. 